Fishing rod with strike-signalling means

ABSTRACT

A fishing rod characterized in that the line guide at the tip of the rod constitutes a movable switch element which lights a flashlight bulb when there is a pull on the line as caused by a fish being hooked on the lure or striking thereat. The fishing rod herein is further characterized in that it has electric conducting leads therein providing plug-socket connections at its ends with a reel-supporting handgrip having batteries therein and with a switch- and bulb-containing unit, said connections serving to align the line guides on the rod with respect to the reel on the handgrip and with respect to the line guide switch element on said switch- and bulb-containing unit.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Frank I". R1110 1429 Chapman Ave"North Madison. Ohlo 44057 [21] Appl. No. 16,856 [22] Filed Mar. 5, 1970[45] Patented Nov. 30, 1971 [54] FISHING ROD WITH STRIKE-SIGNALLINGMEANS 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 43/17 [51] 1nt.Cl A011: 97/12 [50] Field of Search... 43/17[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3.063.185 11/1962 Dinger43/17 3,238,659 3/1966 Lamb, Jr. 43/17 Assistant Examiner-Daniel .I.Leach Attorney-Oberlin, Maky. Donnelly & Renner ABSTRACT: A fishing rodcharacterized in that the line guide at the tip of the rod constitutes amovable switch element which lights a flashlight bulb when there is apull on the line as caused by a fish being hooked on the lure orstriking thereat. The fishing rod herein is further characterized inthat it has electric conducting leads therein providing plug-socketconnections at its ends with a reel-supporting handgrip having batteriestherein and with a switchand bulb-containing unit, said connectionsserving to align the line guides on the rod with respect to the reel onthe handgrip and with respect to the line guide switch element on saidswitchand bulb-containing unit.

PATENTEDNUV 30 I971 3,624,689

INVENTOR.

FRANK F R/ZZO ATTORNEYS FISHING ROD WITH STRIKE-SIGNALLING MEANSBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is known to provide fishing rods with astrike-signalling light in which the fishing line is attached to aswitch to energize a flashlight bulb, the flashlight as a whole or thebattery thereof being generally clipped on or otherwise secured on thefishing rod adjacent the butt end thereof. This type of signal means isnot of course applicable to fishing rods equipped with spinning reels orbait-casting reels since the fishing line is affixed to the flashlightswitch.

It is also known to provide a strike signal light in connection with acasting rod equipped with a reel but the switch-actuating mechanismimposes a frictional drag on the fishing line thus to interfere with thebait-casting operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the present invention, the flashlight bulband switch assembly is secured on the tip of the fishing rod to makeelectrical contact with conductors within the rod, the switch closingcontact being in the form of a conventional line guide which does notinterfere with the normal casting and reeling operations, except thatwhen a fish strikes the lure or is hooked thereon, the lateral pull onthe line guide at the tip will close the electric circuit to cause theflashlight bulb to be energized.

Another characterizing feature of this invention is that the aforesaidlight and switch assembly has a plug-in connection in the end of the rodthus to properly orient the line guide thereof with respect to the lineguides of the rod. Furthermore, the butt end of the rod is detachablyconnected to the handgrip and reel-supporting member and has a plug-inconnection with the latter for operative connection with batteriescontained within the hollow handgrip and for alignment of the rod withrespect to the reel-supporting and handgrip member.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appearhereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. I is a side elevation view of afishing rod and reel assembly embodying the present invention; and FIGS.2, 3 and 4 are enlarged central vertical cross section views showingrespectively the light and switch unit mounted at the tip of the rod,the connection of the butt end of the rod to the handgrip andreel-supporting assembly, and the batteries within the hollow handgrip.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring first to FIG. 1, thefishing tackle shown for purposes of illustration, comprises a taperedflexible rod 1 which preferably is of glass fiber either of solid orhollow construction having its butt end secured as by the collect nut 2to the handgrip 3, the latter being provided with a reel seat 4 formounting of a suitable reel 5 which may be either of the spinning typeor bait-casting type, as well known in the art. The rod 1 is providedwith the usual longitudinally spacedapart line guides 6 through whichthe fishing line 7 passes, the free end of the line 7 being equippedwith a suitable lure (not shown).

As best shown in FIG. 4, the handgrip 3 constitutes a battery case forflashlight batteries 8 which are retained by a screwcap 9 and urged byspring 10 to make contact with the terminal 11 to which an electricconductor 12 is connected, said conductor 12 leading to a sleeve 14 of asocket 15 in the rod-receiving end of the handgrip 3. When the handgrip3 and cap 9 are made of metal, the other sleeve 16 in the socket 15 maybe grounded to the handgrip 3 as shown in FIG. 3.

When the rod I is of solid construction as shown, conductors l7 and 18are molded in place and are provided with contact pins 19 and 20 at thebutt end which constitute a plug to make electrical contact within therespective sleeves l4 and I6 in the socket 15. Accordingly, when thebutt end of the rod 1 is inserted into the bore 21 in the end of thehandgrip 3 the pins I9 and 20 will make electrical contact within thesleeves 14 and 16 and the tightening of the collet nut 2 will contractthe collet fingers 23 into tight frictional gripping engagement with thebutt end of the rod 1.

The tip of the rod 1 is provided with contact sleeves 24 and 25 onconductors I7 and 18 to constitute a socket to receive the contact pins26 and 27 of the light and switch unit 28 which is adapted to be forcedover the tip of the rod 1 and retained as by a bead 29 on the rod 1engaged in an undercut in said unit 28.

One contact pin 26 of said unit 28 is connected to the fixed contact 30and the other contact pin 27 is connected to the terminal 31 for contactby the threaded shell of the flashlight bulb 32. The movable contact 34of the switch comprises a leaf spring having a contact point 35 thereonand a line guide 36 which preferably is inclined as shown to correspondwith the conventional line guide at the tip of a fishing rod. Themovable contact 34 is connected to the terminal 37 which contacts thecenter terminal of the bulb 32. The bulb and switch unit 28 is providedwith an opening 38 therethrough through which the fishing line 7 passes.

It can now be seen that the lure (not shown) adapted to be mounted onthe end of the fishing line 7 may be cast in normal manner and thefishing line 7 may be reeled in or payed out without any interference bythe light and switch unit 28 herein. However, if a fish strikes at thelure or is hooked thereon, the downward pull on the line 7, as viewed inFIGS. 1 and 2, will cause the flexing of the movable contact element 34to the dot-dash line position to effect contact between the fixed andmovable contacts 30 and 35, thus to close an electric circuit throughthe flashlight bulb 32, whereupon the latter will light up to signal thestrike. The unit 28 may be provided with a guide groove 39 to preventbending of the movable contact 34 in the event that the pull on the line7 is inclined from a vertical plane passing through the axis of the rod1.

It is to be noted that the plug-socket connections between the rod 1 andthe handgrip 3 and light and switch unit 28 serve to align the lineguides 6 with the reel 5 and with the line guide 36. Moreover, becausethe bulb 32 is disposed above the fishing line 7 it will readily bevisible by the fisherman.

I, therefore, particularly point out and distinctly claim as myinvention:

1. A fishing rod with strike-signalling means comprising a rod having ahandgrip at one end on which a reel is adapted to be supported forpassage of a fishing line therefrom through longitudinally spaced-apartline guides on said rod; electrical conductor means in said rodoperatively connected to battery means contained within said handgripand extending to the tip of said rod; a flashlight bulb and switch uniton the tip of said rod having electrical contact with said conductormeans so that closing of the switch therein lights said bulb; saidswitch comprising a fixed contact and a movable spring contact whichconstitutes a line guide at the tip of said rod and which is laterallyflexed to make contact with said fixed contact to close said switch thusto light said bulb when a fish strikes at, or is hooked on, a lureadapted to be secured to the fishing line passing through said lineguides; said rod and handgrip having an electrical plug-socketconnection with each other.

2. The fishing rod of claim 1 wherein said electrical plugsocketconnection between said rod and handgrip aligns the line guides of saidrod with a reel adapted to be mounted on said hand grip.

3. A fishing rod with strike-signalling means comprising a rod having ahandgrip at one end on which a reel is adapted to be supported forpassage of a fishing line therefrom through longitudinally spaced-apartline guides on said rod; electrical conductor means in said rodoperatively connected to battery means contained within said handgripand extending to the tip of said rod; a flashlight bulb and switch uniton the tip of said rod having electrical contact with said conductormeans so that closing of the switch therein lights said bulb; saidswitch comprising a fixed contact and a movable spring contact whichconstitutes a line guide at the tip of said rod and which is laterallyflexed to make contact with said fixed contact to close said switch thusto light said bulb when a fish strikes at, or is hooked on, a lureadapted to be secured to the fishing line passing through said lineguide; said unit and rod and said rod and handgrip having alignmentmeans respectively to align the line guide of said unit with the lineguides of said rod and to align the line guides of said rod with a reeladapted to be mounted on said handgrip.

4. The fishing rod of claim 3 wherein each of said alignment meanscomprises an electrical plug-socket connection to electricallyinterconnect said conductor means respectively with said battery meansand said bulb and switch unit.

5. A fishing rod with strike-signalling means comprising a rod having ahandgrip at one end on which a reel is adapted to be supported forpassage of a fishing line therefrom through longitudinally spaced-apartline guides on said rod; electrical conductor means in said rodoperatively connected to battery means contained within said handgripand extending to the tip of said rod; a flashlight bulb and switch uniton the tip of said rod having electrical contact with said conductormeans so that closing of the switch therein lights said bulb; saidswitch comprising a fixed contact and a movable spring contact whichconstitutes a line guide at the tip of said rod and which is laterallyflexed to make contact with said fixed contact to close said switch thusto light said bulb when a fish strikes at, or is hooked on, a lureadapted to be secured to the fishing line passing through said lineguides; said unit having a lateral upward projection providing a socketin which said bulb is mounted and a passage through said lateralprojection for passage passage of the fishing line to the line guide ofsaid movable spring contact.

1' F I I t

1. A fishing rod with strike-signalling means comprising a rod having ahandgrip at one end on which a reel is adapted to be supported forpassage of a fishing line therefrom through longitudinally spaced-apartline guides on said rod; electrical conductor means in said rodoperatively connected to battery means contained within said handgripand extending to the tip of said rod; a flashlight bulb and switch uniton the tip of said rod having electrical contact with said conductormeans so that closing of the switch therein lights said bulb; saidswitch comprising a fixed contact and a movable spriNg contact whichconstitutes a line guide at the tip of said rod and which is laterallyflexed to make contact with said fixed contact to close said switch thusto light said bulb when a fish strikes at, or is hooked on, a lureadapted to be secured to the fishing line passing through said lineguides; said rod and handgrip having an electrical plug-socketconnection with each other.
 2. The fishing rod of claim 1 wherein saidelectrical plug-socket connection between said rod and handgrip alignsthe line guides of said rod with a reel adapted to be mounted on saidhandgrip.
 3. A fishing rod with strike-signalling means comprising a rodhaving a handgrip at one end on which a reel is adapted to be supportedfor passage of a fishing line therefrom through longitudinallyspaced-apart line guides on said rod; electrical conductor means in saidrod operatively connected to battery means contained within saidhandgrip and extending to the tip of said rod; a flashlight bulb andswitch unit on the tip of said rod having electrical contact with saidconductor means so that closing of the switch therein lights said bulb;said switch comprising a fixed contact and a movable spring contactwhich constitutes a line guide at the tip of said rod and which islaterally flexed to make contact with said fixed contact to close saidswitch thus to light said bulb when a fish strikes at, or is hooked on,a lure adapted to be secured to the fishing line passing through saidline guide; said unit and rod and said rod and handgrip having alignmentmeans respectively to align the line guide of said unit with the lineguides of said rod and to align the line guides of said rod with a reeladapted to be mounted on said handgrip.
 4. The fishing rod of claim 3wherein each of said alignment means comprises an electrical plug-socketconnection to electrically interconnect said conductor meansrespectively with said battery means and said bulb and switch unit.
 5. Afishing rod with strike-signalling means comprising a rod having ahandgrip at one end on which a reel is adapted to be supported forpassage of a fishing line therefrom through longitudinally spaced-apartline guides on said rod; electrical conductor means in said rodoperatively connected to battery means contained within said handgripand extending to the tip of said rod; a flashlight bulb and switch uniton the tip of said rod having electrical contact with said conductormeans so that closing of the switch therein lights said bulb; saidswitch comprising a fixed contact and a movable spring contact whichconstitutes a line guide at the tip of said rod and which is laterallyflexed to make contact with said fixed contact to close said switch thusto light said bulb when a fish strikes at, or is hooked on, a lureadapted to be secured to the fishing line passing through said lineguides; said unit having a lateral upward projection providing a socketin which said bulb is mounted and a passage through said lateralprojection for passage of the fishing line to the line guide of saidmovable spring contact.